Posted
on Fri, Apr. 23, 2004Man
arrested for wearing military attire released on $10,000 bond

Wearing
a full-dress Marine uniform festooned with two dozen medals is proper attire
for a military funeral - unless you never served in the military.

A New
Jersey bus driver who hasn't spent a day in the armed services but loved
to dress up as a Marine hero - even at a funeral Mass for an Iraq war vet
- was released after a Newark court hearing Friday on $10,000 bond.

Walter
Carlson, 58, of Summit, New Jersey, was arrested Wednesday at services
for Marine Lieutenant John Wroblewski, 25,
of Jefferson Township, New Jersey.

Wroblewski,
who died after an April 7 shootout, was buried Friday at Arlington National
Cemetery.

At
the services for him in New Jersey, Carlson attended wearing a spiffy Marine
captain's uniform. By coincidence, FBI agent Thomas Cottone, the bureau's
specialist in illegal wearing of military awards, happened to be at the
Washington Township church.

Carlson
caught Cottone's eye right away because of the number and importance of
the medals and ribbons, including the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism
against an enemy, two Silver Stars for gallantry in action, two Bronze
Stars for heroism and three purple hearts for being wounded in action.

When
a band played the Marine Corps Hymn, Cottone was convinced.

"Anyone
who's been a Marine more than two seconds would have snapped to attention,
and he didn't," he said.

Afterward,
he asked Carlson where he'd earned the medals, but the stories came apart.
Carlson confessed he was a wanna-be who borrowed ID to buy the Marine clothes
and medals at a military store.

"People
who wear these medals falsely do a disservice to those who earned them,"
Cottone said. "If you want to be in the military, visit your nearest recruiter."

24
April 2004Marine
impostor must give up gear

Impersonating
a Marine has brought Walter K. Carlson much unwanted attention, loss of
his military gear and a July trial that could result in fines and jail
time.

After
leaving a preliminary hearing on Friday afternoon at U.S. District Court
for illegally wearing military awards at the funeral of Marine Lieutenant
John Thomas "J.T." Wroblewski on Wednesday, Carlson avoided about a half-dozen
cameramen and reporters waiting to talk to him on the steps of the courthouse.
Carlson, 58, of Summit, quickly walked to the parking lot across the street
and hopped into a Cadillac Escalade.

Judge
Ronald J. Hedges set Carlson's trial date for July 7 at 10:30 a.m. at the
federal courthouse in Newark. Carlson, who surrendered to authorities by
attending the hearing, requested a public defender for the trial. Hedges
imposed a $10,000 unsecured bond and the confiscation of all Carlson's
military paraphernalia by Tuesday before releasing him on his own recognizance.

Assistant
Public Defender Peter Carter, who represented Carlson, said his client
did not mean to offend Wroblewski's family at the funeral, held at Our
Lady of the Mountain Church in Washington Township.

"Mr.
Carlson is very sorry for what he did," Carter told a group of reporters
after the hearing.

Assistant
U.S. Attorney R. Joseph Gribko said that if convicted, Carlson could face
up to six months in jail and a maximum $500 fine.

FBI
agent Thomas A. Cottone, who was at the Jefferson Marine's funeral, said
Carlson was at the rite wearing a Marine Corps dress uniform with 24 medals.
The uniform bore insignias indicating the rank of captain.

Cottone
said he specializes in apprehending people who illegally wear military
awards, particularly Medals of Honor. He is a parishioner at Our Lady of
the Mountain Church, and said Carlson first claimed to have earned the
medals but later admitted that he had never served in the military.

"I
think he is getting the picture of the severity of his actions," said Cottone,
before the Friday hearing.

Carlson
did not speak to the media at the courthouse, but during a phone interview
on Thursday he told the Daily Record that he attended the funeral to feel
respected, and also to honor Wroblewski. He admitted to dressing up as
a Marine almost a dozen other times prior to the funeral.

Carlson
said he had attended Veterans Day and Memorial Day events in Morris County.

"I
did this for myself, nobody else. I always wanted to be in the Marines.
I knew one day I would get caught," Carlson said, from his home during
the phone interview on Thursday night. "Growing up I was picked on."

Carlson
said he never had a psychiatric evaluation, but he takes medication for
diabetes. He has lived in Summit almost all his life and works in Dover.

Carlson
said a friend who is a veteran gave him access to a military store where
he could purchase Marine uniforms and medals.

Common
reasons why people decide to impersonate military officers are to impress
others, financial gain or because they always wanted to be in the military,
Cottone explained.

"People
who wear these medals falsely do a great disservice to those who earned
them. Many Marines have died to serve our country and rightly earn their
awards posthumously," Cottone said during a previous meeting.

Cottone
was made an honorary Marine by the Commandant of the Corps for his work.
Cottone also is the FBI's national case agent for investigations into illegal
wearing of military awards, he said.

Wroblewski,
25, who grew up in Jefferson, is Morris County's first fatality in the
Iraq war. He was buried on Friday at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

Walter
K. Carlson has never served in the military, but that didn't stop him from
wearing a Marine dress uniform decorated with two dozen medals at a funeral
for a Morris County Marine officer on Wednesday.

That
is the charge filed against the Summit man by the FBI.

Carlson,
58, was summoned to appear today at 2:30 p.m. at U.S. District Court in
Newark before Judge Ronald J. Hedges on charges of illegally wearing military
awards at the funeral of Marine Lieutenant John Thomas "J.T." Wroblewski
at Our Lady of the Mountain Church in Washington Township. Wroblewski,
25, who grew up in Jefferson, is Morris County's first fatality in the
Iraq war. He will be buried today at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

FBI
agent Thomas A. Cottone, who was at the funeral, said that Carlson was
at the funeral wearing a Marine Corps dress uniform with 24 medals. The
uniform bore insignias indicating rank of captain.

"When
I saw him wearing those medals, I knew right away what he was doing," said
Cottone, who specializes in apprehending people who illegally wear military
awards, particularly Congressional Medals of Honor.

Cottone,
a parishioner at Our Lady of the Mountain Church, said Carlson first claimed
to have earned the medals but later admitted that he had never served in
the military.

"I
know about 90 percent of all highly decorated officers in the state, and
I didn't recognize him," Cottone said.

According
to Carlson, who spoke with the Daily Record by phone Thursday, he attended
the funeral to personally feel respected and also to honor Wroblewski.
He admitted to dressing up as a Marine on almost a dozen other times prior
to the funeral. Carlson said he had attended Veterans Day and Memorial
Day events in Morris County.

"I
did this for myself, nobody else. I always wanted to be in the Marines.
I knew one day I would get caught," Carlson said, from his home during
the phone interview. "Growing up I was picked on."

Carlson
said he never had a psychiatric evaluation, but takes medication for his
diabetes. He has lived in Summit almost all his life and works in Dover.

Carlson
said a friend who is a veteran gave him access to a military store where
he could purchase Marine uniforms and medals.

Agent
Cottone explained that common reasons why people decide to impersonate
military officers is to impress others, financial gain or because they
always wanted to be in the military.

"People
who wear these medals falsely do a great disservice to those who earned
them. Many Marines have died to serve our country and rightly earn their
awards posthumously," Cottone said.

Cottone
was made an honorary Marine by the Commandant of the Corps for his work.
Cottone is also the FBI's national case agent for investigations into illegal
wearing of military awards, he said.
24 April 2004

Military
impostor says he is sorry

An
FBI agent spotted Walter K. Carlson, dressed in full regalia, at a funeral
for a Marine.

A man
accused of illegally wearing military decorations while attending a funeral
for a Marine killed in Iraq apologized for his actions, his lawyer said
yesterday.

"My
client is very sorry for drawing attention, any attention, to himself rather
than this Marine," assistant federal public defender Peter Carter said.
"To the extent that anyone in the armed forces has been offended, he deeply
apologizes."

Carter
spoke outside court after the accused, Walter K. Carlson, was allowed to
remain free by U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald J. Hedges, who set bond at
$10,000 during a four-minute hearing.

Hedges
ordered Carlson, 58, of Summit, N.J., to surrender all military materials
by Tuesday. He set trial for July 7.

Carlson
spoke only to answer the magistrate that he understood his rights. He declined
to speak to reporters.

He
was charged Thursday with illegally wearing military awards, punishable
by up to six months in prison. The charge was lodged after he was spotted
at the funeral Wednesday of Second Lieutenant John Thomas Wroblewski, 25,
of Jefferson Township, N.J.

The
funeral, at Our Lady of the Mountain Church in Washington Township, Morris
County, was attended by FBI Special Agent Thomas A. Cottone, a parish member.

Cottone,
who was made an honorary Marine for his work in identifying military impostors,
said he spoke to Carlson after noticing that Carlson was wearing a Marine
dress uniform with decorations indicating he had received about 24 medals,
including the Navy Cross, two Silver Stars, two Bronze Stars, and three
Purple Hearts.

Carlson
admitted that he never served in the military, according to Cottone's complaint.

"Hopefully,
this will stop other people from doing this," Cottone said after yesterday's
hearing. "It's not a victimless crime. The awards he was wearing, people
died earning them."

Besides
the uniform and decorations, Carlson also had "leatherneck" vanity license
plates issued by New Jersey, Cottone said. The tags, bearing a slang term
for a Marine, are to be surrendered.

Wroblewski
was buried yesterday at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. He died
April 7, one day after he was wounded during a shootout with insurgents
in the Al Anbar province. Wroblewski, who was assigned to Iraq shortly
after he was married in July, was one of at least 12 Americans killed in
the battle.

A Rutgers
University graduate, Wroblewski joined the Marine Corps on Dec. 13, 2002.
He was based at Camp Pendleton in California.